Burning Silhouettes
by Flightless Hope
Summary: After waking up in a world of fog and bone-chilling horror, Damon and Bonnie must depend on one another to answer the riddle to Forever Road and obtain the key to get back home, but answering the riddle isn't their only obstacle. Shadows have a way of coming to life in the fog… shadows that feed on the sins of a human soul.
1. Forever Road

**A/N :** I don't plan for this to be a long story, likely 8-10 chapters _at most _(maybe 13, IDK). This piece is heavily inspired by the game series, _Silent Hill_. Pairings to expect are as follows: Bamon, Stelena, and Anti-Delena. There are mentions of Jeremy for Bonnie's POV, but he honestly isn't a focal point in this piece. I don't have a beta, so there are plenty of errors. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this story.

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><p><span><strong>Burning Silhouettes<strong>

**Chapter 1 : The Forever Road**

_Damon's POV_

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><p><em>"The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."<em>

**John Milton**

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><p>"<em>Your damnations feed her…"<em>

He wakes up to a blinding grey sky. Had he heard…? His eyes dart around frantically. Nothing. Silence. His vision finally comes into focus after a moment and he blinks. There is no definition in the clouds. His first thought is of fog, endless fog. He scrunches his nose as a faint scent wafts over him. _Smoke_. _Fire!_

Straightening up abruptly, he cries out. Everything hurts, his bones, his eyes, his _head_. Shaking away the dizziness, he looks around frantically, her face finally surfacing in the churning ocean of his mind. _Bonnie!_

"Bonnie!" His voice breaks and the thirst slams into him, sudden, pounding, and impatient.

His throat feels like sandpaper and his tongue keeps sticking to his teeth. His fangs feel strangely foreign in his mouth. The desire to press them into something supple, hot, and pulsing overwhelms him and he cradles his head. That's when he notices a fleeting warmth on his right hand. He glances at it, his lips pursed in confusion. It didn't feel like burning, just a comforting warmth… like the warmth of human skin. It was the hand Bonnie had been holding when the light came.

_Where is she?_

He looks around again. No fire and no Bonnie. Just asphalt, dreary grey, and a crumbling cliff face. He gets up slowly and walks over to the guard rail. It's an immediate drop. Nothing but dusty trees and more grey. His frown deepens. Something about the trees looks… off. He blinks. Studying them hurts his eyes, which is a first. The more he stares, the more they appear to undulate and flicker. Shaking his head, he turns and starts heading up the road, or what _appears _to be up.

"Bonnie!" He calls again, this time his voice sounding a little less like a drowned whistle.

No answer.

"Where the hell are you, witch?" He growls anxiously.

The air feels funny here, wherever the hell _here _is, and the lack of sound really bothers him. He hears _nothing_, not even wind.

"Whatever game you're playing, it isn't funny!"

Utter silence.

His stomach coils into knots, reminding him of his hunger. He hasn't felt hunger like this since he'd first fed on human blood. It worries him, but he quickly shakes it away. He needs to find Bonnie and figure out what the hell is going on.

… _if Bonnie is even here…_ a little voice whispers.

"Bonnie! Bonnie!" He exhales roughly, true panic setting in. "She's normally always around to pass judgment, but when you really need her… Damn it! Bonnie!"

Then, a sound, high and piercing, rips through the air. He grabs frantically at his ears, his face screwing up in agony and his body convulsing. It's a scream. He crumples to the ground and his elbows hit the road with a sickening crack. The scream drills in through his fingers and deep into his ears, seeming to squeeze his skull. He groans desperately and curls into a fetal position, unable to escape the sound. It agitates his hunger until it has him writhing and growling. He can't pinpoint the origin of the scream. It seems as if it's coming from all directions.

Blackness. It comes to him in waves, swallowing his consciousness whole, but right before he falls deep into its depths, he sees a blur of movement.

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><p>"<em>She is a ravenous beast this… illusion you seek."<em>

Damon awakens again sometime later in a daze. It takes him a moment to remember what had happened and where he is. _The screaming is gone, but…?_

Getting slowly to his feet, he looks around. He's somewhere else… a decrepit clothing store, perhaps? He frowns. "What the hell?"

It's _Suzie's Clothes_, a small little shop on the mainstreet of Mystic Falls. He walks around, confused more than curious. It looks utterly abandoned with at least four inches of dust collecting on the racks. The floor is littered with torn paper and dingy clothing. How had he gotten here? Then it hits him. The blur of movement he'd seen just before blacking out. _Who_—_?_

"Help me!"

Damon's blood freezes. _Elena? _Without another thought he races in the direction of her voice. It had come from outside, somewhere down the street. There are no cars, no electricity. Just a perpetual grey that seems to be sucking the color from the world. _How had she even gotten here_—_?_

"Damon! Help me!"

He suddenly skids to a halt, bewildered. The street in front of him is gone, seeming as if something monstrous had ripped it from the surface of the earth and left a gaping hole of fog beneath it. _Fog, fog, fog._ "What is up with this damn fog?"

"Damon," a voice whispers from behind him and he jerks around.

It's Elena. He runs to her and yanks her into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

She doesn't answer, her arms merely curling loosely around him.

Damon pulls away to look at her. She looks so tired, her eyes even appear glassy. "Elena. How did you get here? What's going on? Where's Bonnie?"

She leisurely smiles up at him and her lips are on his before he can speak again. He kisses her back, his chest swelling and his head swimming. After a moment, she pulls away, leaving him lightheaded. Her lips feel—

"Damon. Don't leave me alone." She says desperately, but the emotion doesn't quite reach her eyes.

He grabs her and holds her close. "I won't. We'll get out of here."

She smiles broadly. "I know where Bonnie is."

Damon jerks in surprise. "You found her? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Elena turns on her heel and waves for him to follow. "She's this way."

They head down a narrow alleyway that ends in a long stretch of steps. He doesn't remember this being a part of Mystic Falls. Despite his unease, he continues. Even with his vampire vision, he can't make out what's beyond the first ten steps. Tension settles in his stomach like a stone and he picks up his pace to catch Elena. She's way ahead of him, her figure beginning to disappear into the dark.

"Stay close to me." Damon says. "We don't know what's down there."

She ignores him and actually quickens her pace. He frowns at her. _What is she doing?_

"Elena!"

She suddenly breaks into a full sprint. He is so shocked by her behavior that it takes him a moment to realize what's happening. "Elena! Wait! What the hell? Elena!" He hurries after her into the shadow.

"This way!" Her voice travels back to him distantly.

_Where is she?_ He almost runs headlong into a lamp post, but he's able to sidestep the last second only to trip over a tattered pile of garbage. He hits the ground hard, the snap of his index finger echoing pain up his arm and his legs twisting into the miry mess.

"God damn it!"

"Damon?" Elena's voice floats to him.

"Elena!"

She is nowhere to be seen. There is only the monochrome emptiness of dingy walls and tacky paper littered on the ground. He resets his finger with a hiss and stumbles back to his feet for what feels like the umpteenth time. A few tattered pieces of cloth are tangled around his ankles and he rips them away with a bitter grunt. Just as he's about to toss them, he notices something. The texture and the color. He's surprised he can tell such a thing in this colorless world. It's the color of the Confederate uniforms, and the texture—it's unmistakable.

His eyes travel hesitantly down to the pile and if his heart still beat, it would have stopped dead. It's a body, his body. No. The face is… changing. _Stefan?_ No. It's his face. The uniform is tacky with blood and the skin is ashen blue, like a corpse found submerged in water.

"Stefan…" Elena's voice whispers.

"Damn it, Elena, where…" his voice dies in his throat as he turns toward...

Nothing. No one.

"What the hell is going on here?" he groans helplessly.

There is a thrumming of sound, and the world abruptly darkens, a stygian blackness that seems to come up from the ground and devour the sky. Everything is moving, slithering and slippery to his ears. When he'd first woken, the world had been utterly silent, now it pants with emphatic haste. Damon's eyes dart around frantically as the walls melt away like withering flesh and heavy rains flood the landscape.

Then, it hits him. The smell. He looks down to his hands and sees that they are dribbling with red.

_Blood._

"It's raining blood." he mutters incredulously.

"This is the forever road, boy."

His body goes stiff at the sound of the voice. _Guiseppe_. He can't resist the urge to look down at the corpse. It's looking back at him, the ghost of a grin folding bloated flesh. _Father_.

"What's the matter, son? Can you not admire your own handy work?" The corpse chuckles a watery sound.

"This isn't real." Damon says blindly, his desire to run overshadowed by something else, something heavy.

_Guilt._

"And you are?" The face changes to Stefan, but the voice is still distinctly his father's. "You've never been true. You disappoint me. No son of mine is a deserter."

"Go to hell!" Damon hisses desperately.

"You deserted us." It continues. "It was you who let that monster destroy your family, your _brother_. You knew all along. You were so weak and believed her lies. It was you!"

"Shut up!"

"You've proven to be the biggest disappointment."

"Shut up! Shut up!"

There is a moment of silence and Damon relishes it. The words of his fath—the corpse— tear at his mind like aimless razors, ricocheting every which way, and he feels his hunger returning with a vengeance. This place is hell. He's in hell…

"You've never looked passed your desire to be me so you can finally see the truth inside you." Stefan's voice suddenly jars him and he feels a stinging pain curl up his back like a whip. It burrows deep, searing his nerve endings and making him double over.

When he looks to the corpse again, it dons his face, a crooked grin breaking the flesh and making it bubble up in shades of purple and blue. It laughs and black liquid spills from its lips, curdled and rank. He screams, _terrified_. The sound spirals above him like a banshee and resonates off the walls. They are pulsing… like the inside of a human heart.

"No!" Damon backpedals, finally able to move. His mind is a labyrinth of the same word. "No! No! No!"

He runs. It's the only thing he can think to do. _This is hell!_ Everything around him is alive, reaching for him with greedy phantom hands. That's when he hears it, a drumming sound. It's getting faster, vibrating through his chest and down his spine. He gasps as he realizes… it's a heart beat. _His heart beat!_

"Feel that, son?" His father's voice croaks. "There are no rules here. You are _dead_… and you belong to us, boy." A chorus of unearthly laughter chases after him, but he never turns around. He just runs, as far and as fast as he can.


	2. Ghostflowers

**A/N : **Thanks so much for the reviews. I'll try to update every Sunday until I finish this piece. ^_^ I actually have an easier time writing Damon's POV than Bonnie's, but that's probably because I enjoy torturing Damon more. Not quite sure where this story will end, but expect some serious sexual tension on behalf of Bamon.

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><p><strong>Burning Silhouettes<strong>

**Chapter 2 : Ghostflowers**

_Bonnie's POV_

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><p><em>"She picking ghostflowers from her soul."<em>

**Otep**

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><p>Up until an hour ago, Bonnie had been wandering around the abandoned Mystic Falls high school. She'd woken up in the woods near Fells Church and quickly made her way into town. At one point the world had darkened and a shattering scream sent her scrambling through the back gym doors. She'd tried all other entrances before that and and they had been locked.<p>

Now, she is pacing in the principal's office, the door locked securely behind her. Before getting to the school, she'd run into something. The thought of it still makes her shiver in disgust and she grabs an aluminum bat leaning against the center desk. She'd found it while running around petrified and crazed after having encountered… whatever _it _was.

"Let's just hope the thing can't magically unlock doors." She whispers, her face paling and her heart trembling.

_Where is Damon?_ She would have thought that she'd wake up beside him, especially since they'd traveled to this place together. She distinctly remembers coming to at some point and still feeling his fingers laced with hers. She also remembers seeing no trees above her, just grey sky, but a heaviness dragged her back into oblivion. Frowning, she taps the bat on the floor absently. Why had she woken up near Fells Church, then? The question is unsettling.

Something hits the ground down the hall and she practically jumps out of her skin. Her first thought is that creature and she swallows dryly, gripping the bat and bringing it up over her shoulders. Whatever it is, she'd bash its skull in before it got a good look at her.

The doorknob rattles and Bonnie's breath catches. _Please don't let it be that monster!_ Bonnie whispers internally. _Anything but that!_

"Bonnie?" an all too familiar voice hisses. "Bonnie baby, are you in there?"

Her body seems distant. "Grams?"

"Yes baby. I'm so happy to hear your voice."

Bonnie quickly unlocks the door and tears gather in her eyes at the sight before her. Grams is standing there, a tired smile on her face and her hair in a chaotic mess. She looks as if she's been rolling around in the mud all day.

Bonnie gasps. "What happened to you?"

"We don't have time, honey. It knows you're here. You shouldn't have stayed."

A chill slithers down Bonnie's spine. "That monster?"

Grams simply nods.

Without another word, Bonnie takes her hand and they hurry down the hallway to the double doors of the main entrance. Bonnie is about to mention that it's locked when Grams opens it. _How?_

Bonnie scowls in confusion. "That was locked when I checked it before."

Grams looks back at her, urgency lining her face. "It wasn't when I tried it. Come on!"

They race out into the parking lot, or least, what Bonnie hopes is the parking lot. The fog is back, and this time it's so thick she can't see five feet in front of her. She grabs frantically for Gram's hand and feels relief wash over her as she receives a reassuring squeeze. The bat in her other hand is raised for anything that should come jumping out at them.

"How did you get here, Grams?"

Gram's doesn't answer her question and instead pulls her roughly into the blinding grey. "We should be safe at the Grill. Come on!"

"How can you see where we are going?" Bonnie pants.

"Just come on, baby!"

An ear-splitting scream suddenly erupts from behind them and Bonnie almost falls to her knees if not for Gram's. She wraps her arm around her waist and hauls her forward. Bonnie's head feels as if her brain is throbbing with the sound, clattering like a jackhammer against her skull. "Grams!" she grits out in agony. "What is—"

"Keep going, baby! Don't stop!" There are tears of pain in her voice. "Whatever you do, don't stop running!"

The scream is getting closer, pushing against her back with actual force. It propels her forward and she grips at Grams' shoulder, her nails digging into flesh. Whatever this thing is, it's been looking for her... and it means to kill her. The realization is pure instinct, a primal knowledge vibrating deep in her bones.

They make it all the way to mainstreet and down to the Grill. Grams throws open the door with a huff and yanks Bonnie in after her. Something slams against the glass with a terrifying ferocity as Grams turns the latch and ushers Bonnie away. The creature plants its hands hungrily against the glass, its eyeless face streaking filth and blood against the smooth surface.

Shivering from both adrenaline and disgust, Bonnie follows Grams as she disappears into the kitchen. "Grams! What is that? And, how did you know we'd be safe here?" Her voice is reedy and weak from running. It reminds her that she is quite thirsty, too.

"A witch's magic leaves traces on certain places, sometimes good, sometimes bad." She turns to Bonnie, Tear stains streaking through the grit on her face. "You have quite a few good memories here, some bad, but mostly good… and it was the closest place to get to."

Bonnie frowns. She's still dodging the obvious question. "What is that thing?"

Grams looks away again, her expression darkening. "The more you focus on it, the easier it is for that thing to find you. It wants you, baby. When you'd found it near Fells Church, it looked different, didn't it?"

Bonnie just nodded, her eyes wide.

"It will keep changing the more you think about it. Your thoughts give it power."

"What is it?"

"It's something _he _brought with him. This world feeds on darkness." Grams shakes her head with a look of disdain. "That darkness in him… it feeds on both of you."

Bonnie's jaw drops. "You mean Damon?"

Grams suddenly hugs her. "You've got darkness in your too, baby. Yours is much deeper than you think. Don't let it control you, or this world will turn all its hunger on you."

The statement makes her shudder in fear.

"What about Damon? Where is he? We have to find him and get out of here!" She pulls away and gives her grandmother a sharp glare. "Whatever that thing is, it's after us both, isn't it?"

Grams' eyes flicker. "It's after you _for now_…"

She sighs in frustration and plants her hands on her hips. "What does that mea—" As she turns back, Grams is gone. She'd only looked away for a second. "Grams?"

She's vanished. Gone.

"Grams?" Bonnie doesn't quite yell her name for fear of the creature outside. "Grams? Where…?"

'_Don't trust your eyes.'_ Grams whispers to her thoughts. '_Your eyes will lie to you.'_

"Grams!" Bonnie hisses frantically, her heart racing.

What will she do now? What can she do? She's trapped in this place with some foul monstrosity waiting outside to do God only knows what to her. Her breath catches in her throat and she leans against one of the cooking counters. It's coated in about a century's worth of dust, but she's not bothered with the filth line it makes against the back of her shirt, or the grease smudging on her palms. She grips the bat firmly. _How the hell am I getting out of here? Is this hell? Is this what real death is like? What darkness is Grams talking about?_ The last thought really worries her. _Could that darkness be why she's here?_

Something hits the windows in the dining room with a sickening thump and Bonnie can only guess that it's the creature. Swallowing her heart back into her chest, she spares a peek out the swinging door. There is a big ugly stain driveling down the main set of windows and Bonnie can see what looks like clumsy handprints along the window seal. She shakes her head and closes her eyes for a moment to ease the sudden attack of nausea.

She can smell something now, too, and it's far stronger than when she'd first caught wind of it at Fells Church. It's an old smell, but that doesn't make it any less potent. It rolls over her like stagnant water, drenching her senses and paralyzing them with disgust. Her lungs scream for air, but she is holding her breath, not daring to allow it beyond her lips… but it makes no difference. She can taste the odor all over her tongue and it makes her gag.

It's as if the creature is standing right behind her, its stink radiated out around her. Her back stiffens at the realization. The world has gone completely silent. _When?_ Her heart beat is a thunderous hammer in her ears and she can practically feel her jugular pumping beneath her skin.

_It can't get in for now. Grams said this place was safe… but for how long?_ She grabs desperately at her sides, her nerves shot and her throat dry. _Focus Bonnie Bennett. Focus!_

Gathering her courage, she glances behind her. There is nothing but an empty kitchen. The air escapes her lungs in a rush and she nods, more out of comfort than conformation. _Now for the dining room. If you see it, don't think, just do. Trust your instincts, Bonnie._

The door squeaks, seeming loud in the heavy silence, and she grits her teeth. _Stay focused._ The dining room itself is completely clear. Leaning carefully over the counter of the bar, she checks at the pool tables. _No hellish skin-faced monster there, either._ Her body relaxes. _This is all good, but now what?_

"Damon." she whispers aloud. "Find Damon. Then, worry about everything else later."

_I just need to figure out a way to distract the monster and get out of—_

An image abruptly invades Bonnie's mind. It's an image of her. She is sitting atop something. Her eyes are black holes and her lips are peeled back over needle-like teeth. Two slanting lines are carved into her forehead and venomous black stains travel up her arms from her fingertips. Blood trickles down from the crooked wounds, framing her eyeless sockets and driveling to the tip of her nose. Bonnie now sees what her horrific reflection is seated on… a throne, gaudy and glittering with deep red jewels. She looks like some kind of old world beast and it chills her to the core.

_What the hell is this?_

_"The two sources are one, with one left undone. When two are empty, yet one full, can one by one see forever by time made none."_ a disjointed voice whispers.

"Grams?"

_"The forever road..."_

Suddenly, the windows beside her shatter and she is pelted with slivers of glass. The inhuman scream comes again and she scrambles out the entrance before she has a chance to even look back. _Get out! Just get the hell out! Find Damon! Don't look back!_

She runs, as far and as fast as she can.


	3. Stick and Stones

**A/N : **Thanks for the continued support. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope to keep updating when I can. Life is pretty hectic, so expect a slowdown in updates soon.

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><p><span><strong>Burning Silhouettes<strong>

**Chapter 3 : Sticks and Stones**

_Damon's POV_

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><p>"Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."<p>

Edgar Allen Poe

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><p>Damon checks out the window before he yanks the curtain shut again. After what happened in the alleyway, he'd hauled ass all the way to Elena's place. The Salvatore Boarding House had been his first choice, but it's too far and his only thought had been to get somewhere he felt safe. Elena's house had been the closest escape with that thing trailing close behind him.<p>

"Here is as good a place as any." He mutters darkly. "But… now I'm trapped."

He hadn't spotted the creature in the last hour, but he can still feel it outside somewhere, waiting for him. He takes a deep breath and collapses on the living room couch, his weight causing a loud creak in the springs. _Where the hell is Elena?_ He would have thought that she'd be here. After she'd run off and he'd been confronted by that…

"Stop thinking about it!" He grumbles aloud, needing more than anything to hear some kind of noise.

_Too damn quiet around here and time feels funny, too._

What the monster had said slips through his consciousness like a leisurely slug, leaving an unwanted trail of thoughts behind it, ugly and exposing thoughts. Thoughts that make his skin crawl.

"I'm not Stefan." he says and covers his face with his hands. "I'm not perfect Mr. Saint Salvatore."

_No, you're not._

His back stiffens and his eyes dart around in alarm. _What was that just now?_

_The voice of reason._

"What the hell?"

_You didn't think you could escape me that easily, did you?_

"You're in my head." He says slowly.

_Nice observation genius, but no. Well… sometimes._

He frowns. "Go away."

_Over one hundred years of making your younger brother miserable because of jealousy, and now you can't take a little voice inside your head? Would you like to be the pot or the kettle?_

"Neither." he mutters. "Not too keen on being that close to the fire."

_Too late for that, I'm afraid._

"This is Hell, isn't it? You're here to make me pay for all my sins, right?"

_No, but good guess._

He scowls, confused. "Where's Elena, then? And where's Bonnie?"

_You should be more careful talking out loud to yourself. People might think you're… some kind of homicidal maniac._ The voice chuckles coldly. _Too far? Ah well…_

Damon huffs impatiently. _Where are they?_

_Indoor voices, much better._ He can practically hear the voice grinning. _Now you don't look so ridiculous._

He gets to his feet, unable to remain still. _Answer me!_

_I will tell you this. Elena is dying to see you._

Just then, the front door opens and slams shut, causing Damon to bite back a sound of alarm. He rushes toward the hallway, completely intent on attack but then Bonnie stumbles into view, her hair a wild mess and her clothes covered in dust.

"Bonnie!" Damon gasps in disbelief.

"Are you stupid or something?" She grits out. "Never mind. I already know the answer."

Being more happy to see her alive, if that's indeed what this is, he ignores the sarcastic jab and runs to her side. "Where the hell have you been? Elena said she knew where you were, then she disappeared."

Bonnie frowns. "Elena?"

Damon grins. "Yeah. She's here... somehow. We went looking for you and got separated."

Bonnie's frown deepens. "Damon. Are you sure?"

_What's with that question?_ "Of course I'm sure. Why would you even ask that?" He storms passed her angrily, his shoulders stiff.

_What's with her? How can she even ask that kind of question? Elena is here._ She's come to save them both. Damon sighs as he takes another look out the window, but there is still no sign of the monster.

"You said you'd seen the monster." Bonnie said after a while. "What happened?"

Damon's chest tightens and he chooses his words carefully. "The damn thing babbled about some forever road then chased me here."

Bonnie is looking hard at him. He can feel it. When she speaks, her voice betrays suspicion. "That's all? You saw or heard nothing else?"

He whirls around and heads into the kitchen. "We need to figure a way out of here, witchy, and I'd really prefer it be now instead of later."

She follows after him, her arms crossed. "What aren't you telling me, Damon?"

"You know what your problem is." Damon suddenly growls. "You talk too damn much. You never shut up."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow and purses her lips knowingly. "Trying to deflect with antagonism. You are so predictable." She begins walking toward him and he doesn't realize that he backs up against the sink. "You might as well tell me, because we aren't going anywhere soon, especially if that thing is just outside."

Damon scoffs. "I'll rip it apart if it comes in here."

She laughs, which irritates him even more. "You're terrified. Something must have happened, because you only act this way when you're scared to death."

He shoves her away. "I'm not afraid."

"Yes you are!" She snaps. "You better start admitting it to yourself or whatever this place is… will eat you alive."

He glares at her. "And how do you know that Miss Incompetent."

She ignores his waspish retort. "Stop denying it to yourself. Whatever this thing is, it's feeding directly off you."

His eyes widen. "How do you know that?"

Something in her face changes, a stream of emotions that flicker through her eyes too quickly for him to process. He does, however, register one emotion… distrust. "Just because I no longer have my powers doesn't mean I'm blind to the energies here."

_She's holding something back… Who's deflecting now?_

"That's all, huh?" He mutters sarcastically.

She squares her shoulders. "What happened?"

He chuckles darkly. She's holding back from me and yet she still believes I should cough up my little experience. _Right…_ "A beginning, a middle, and an end."

She's about to say more, but he pushes harshly passed her, knocking her into the kitchen island. He can hear her breath coming out in a an angry huff. First she doesn't believe him about Elena and now she's being a hypocrite. It's laughable that she really thinks he'll tell her what happened when she herself dodges his questions. The sudden urge to hurt her floats through his mind, slow and tantalizing. For a moment, he wonders if the thought is even his. She is, after all, insufferable as hell. Judgmental and useless. A deeper part of him likes the idea.

"Don't ever push me like that again." Bonnie's deadly whisper comes from behind him.

He whips around to find her inches away, her eyes daggers and her expression utterly calm. _How had I not heard her?_ "It's not like you can do much without your witchy juju." He says derisively.

She smiles and something about it makes the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Her eyes are wrong. How had he not noticed it before? He stiffens and takes a hesitant step back.

Her smile breaks into a lopsided grin, her gaze traveling from his retreating foot to his guarded expression. "What's the matter, Damon?"

Something had changed. He can feel it now, like a sudden shift in temperature. _When had it changed?_ He swallows thickly. Then, he feels it. Hunger. The same intensity he'd felt when he'd encountered…

"Bonnie?" He says cautiously.

"You're so predictable." She purrs. "Always the insecure bully."

He instantly understands and he can't deny the fear that grips his chest. "Who are you?"

"I told you already. I'm the truth that's been inside of you all along." She advances on him and caresses his cheek, her fingertips lingering near his lips. Her gaze darkens and he can feel the ice in her touch. "I'm you, silly."

He tries to turn and run, but a force flings him against the wall. He smashes into a display case and groans as a large shard of glass punctures his side. There is a cracking sound of what he believes to be thunder outside and the ground begins to tremble.

Bonnie is standing before him, her normally round wide eyes hardened and inhuman. Her lips are deepening in color, blushing with the promise of hot blood pulsing just beneath the surface. His throat tightens and he tries to divert his mind by removing the glass shard. It takes some extra muscle with it and he cries out.

"You can hear her heartbeat, can't you Damon?"

Closing his eyes, he swallows dryly. "What have you done to Bonnie?"

She hums pleasantly and kneels down beside him. "Bonnie is right here." She gestures to her neck with a teasing smile. "You're hungry for a taste. Don't try and hide it."

The heat radiating from her body is almost unbearable and he turns away, his fangs betraying him. "Leave her out of this."

"Oh? That's funny, not five minutes ago you were considering doing something harmful to her. Or, maybe I was..." She chuckles, a low and irregular sound. "Stop playing around, Damon. Let's be honest for once. We both know what's really deep inside that cold body of yours." Her hand slips under his shirt and he shivers at her touch.

"I said leave Bonnie out of this." He breathes, the warmth of her hand making his eyes darken with blood lust.

She leans in close to him, her lips hot on his ear. "Why? She's much more fun than Elena."

Damon snarls and tries to move, but she stops him, forcing him down with an unknown energy. He scowls up at her. "I thought Bonnie doesn't have her witch powers."

"She doesn't, but the magic residue left in her blood allows me to channel through her. Besides, you'll see me in the flesh very soon."

"Great." He smiles bitterly.

Sighing, she sits down atop his lap. "See, this is why I'm more fun than you."

"You're not even real!" He exclaims angrily. "If what you say is true, then you're just a part of me. You're nothing but a damn shadow!"

She tilts her head to the side thoughtfully, then punches through his stomach.

His hollers in agony as blood surges from his mouth and onto Bonnie's clothes. "Damn it!"

"Sticks and stones, Damon." She whispers.

He grabs her arm, his knuckles white and bloodless. "Get out of Bonnie, or I'll kill you!"

She looks at him silently for a moment, her eyebrow raised and her eyes dancing. In an attempt to make his point, he tries to pull her hand out of him. He can't. For whatever reason, she is stronger. His fear spikes and she smirks. She can sense everything he feels. He sighs in frustration.

"Words… Damon. Words only hold power when they are true. You can't kill me and you know it." She grins coolly. "You do destroy everything else around you, though: your brother, Lexi, Isobel, Alaric, Jeremy… Elena… even Bonnie." she laughs, "You promised to protect the Bennett line, yet you've only brought grief. I've been waiting to finally thank you in person." Her fingers dig deep into the wound and Damon grits his teeth. "For the last 150 years, your sins have nourished me."

"You're not—" He stifles a scream as she rips at his insides.

She finally pulls her hand from his stomach, his blood glistening on her skin. "I told you that words only hold power when they are true. Don't deny me, Damon. I don't like being ignored."

"Don't be such a bitch and maybe I won't." he bites back.

"Sassy. I like it." She winks at him and brings her bloodied hand to her lips. "You know, I've never inflicted physical harm on a person before. You've been teasing me all this time while I've only been a spectator. Now I know why you enjoy it so much." Her tongue flicks out and she tastes his blood.

He watches in disbelief as Bonnie's face contorts with a sick joy and he is shocked by the feeling of disgust that wells up in his throat. Seeing Bonnie like that isn't right. It's just wrong, so completely, very wrong. "Then why don't you jump back inside of me?" He tries to keep his voice steady.

She laughs, loud and melodic. "Become your prisoner again? Let you have all the fun killing?" She licks her lips earnestly and he's surprised again by the sickening lurch of his stomach. "Come now, Damon. We both know I'm better at that than you… or well, I will be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tell me you're joking." She rolls her eyes. "Well, you are an idiot. I should know."

"Tell me what that means!" He demands and tries to move, but it's still no use.

She abruptly slaps him. "You'll find out soon enough."

"You bitch!" He snarls. "Tell me what that means!"

Bonnie's eyes cloud over and her expression slackens. He feels the force restraining him dissipate and the world falls silent.

After a moment, Bonnie blinks in confusion and her hands go to cradle her head. "What...?"

"Bonnie?"

When she looks at him, it dawns on her and she flies up from his lap. "What the hell, Damon! What were you doing?"

He gingerly gets to his feet. "Excuse me? It was you who sat on me!"

She jabs her bloodied finger at him. "I'd never do that! I..." Her gaze falls to his blood and she looks back at him, bewildered. "Why is there blood on my hand?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that… You kind of attacked me."

She shakes her head in disbelief. "I what?"

"Look, let's just find a way out of here. We can discuss all this when there isn't some horror flick monster chasing after us."

"Damon." She pins him with her gaze. "What happened?"

"If we make it past that faceless bastard, I'll tell you. Deal?"

She sighs. "I'll be expecting an answer, Damon."

"Shake on it?" He extends his hand.

"No." she deadpans.


End file.
